Parents of comatose teen sue over 2012 Kingston crash

Ivan and Rebecca Lipton are seeking more than $1 million in damages on behalf of their 18-year-old daughter, who has been in a “vegetative state” for the past two years.

Neal Simpson The Patriot Ledger @nsimpson_ledger

Catherine Dennis was driving a school bus down Lake Street in Kingston in March 2012 when police said a teen in a BMW crossed into her lane and slammed head-on into the bus. Dennis now has been sued by the parents of one of the teenagers in the BMW.

Ivan Lipton of Bourne and Rebecca Lipton of Plympton are seeking more than $1 million in damages on behalf of their daughter, Eva Lipton, who has been in a “vegetative state” since the March 2012 crash.

The lawsuit filed last month also names as defendants the company that owned the bus; the teenage girl who was behind the wheel of the BMW, Monica Knight, and Knight’s father.

The lawsuit comes more than two years after Knight, then a 16-year-old junior at Silver Lake Regional High School, reportedly crossed into oncoming traffic while driving to school in a BMW and slammed head-on into the school bus.

Two other juniors riding in the BMW besides Knight and Lipton, Brendan McGilley and Aliza Nantais, also were seriously injured.

Knight, who served 90 days in jail for repeatedly violating her probation after the crash, pleaded guilty in April to reckless driving and other charges.

She was given a two-year suspended jail sentence, meaning she won’t serve any more time if she isn’t found to have violated probation again.

Ivan Lipton said Monday that the family would not comment on the crash or the lawsuit, but the civil lawsuit filed last month said the Lipton’s lives have “changed irrevocably” because of the crash.

“Since the moment of impact, [Eva Lipton] has, for all intents and purposes, remained in a vegetative state on life support,” it reads. “The cost of medical care have been and will be staggering.”

In addition to going after Monica Knight, the lawsuit names her father, Anthony Knight, and Dennis, the school bus driver, who lived in Pembroke.

The suit contends all three were negligent and have robbed the Liptons of their relationship with their daughter.

The lawsuit says that Dennis should have had time to avoid the BMW after it crossed in front of the bus if she was “operating with due care.” Instead, it says, she did nothing to prevent the crash.

Dennis could not be reached Monday.

The lawsuit argues that the owner of the bus, Cincinnati-based First Student, Inc., should also be liable for Dennis’s actions. Company spokesman Jen Biddinger declined comment

The lawsuit accuses Monica Knight’s father, Anthony Knight, of negligence in allowing his daughter to drive the BMW. But Anthony Knight said Monday that he did not own the car and had specifically forbade his daughter from using it – something he said can prove through text messages he sent her.

Knight said he feels “there ought to be a little bit of responsibility” for Eva Lipton, whom he said was part of “a bunch of kids who were going to smoke pot before school” when the crash happened.

“I feel sorry for their daughter but hey – responsibility,” he said. “There are consequences in life. Just because they were young and immature, doesn’t mean there are no consequences.”

None of the defendants named in the lawsuit have filed a response to the Liptons’ lawsuit.

Contact Neal Simpson at nesimpson@ledger.com or follow him on Twitter @NSimpson_Ledger.